review : guitar highway rose

guitar highway rose (allen&unwin), by brigid lowry, was published in 1997.

it is the story of rosie: who lives in perth and is hanging around being fifteen, arguing with her mother, wishing she was older, waiting for her life to begin. it's also the story of asher: a dreadlocked, reluctant byron bay evacuee, come to perth because his parents have separated. theirs is a sweet and quirky friendship and then developing into, possibly, something more. they both love music and secondhand clothes, the ocean and the idea of freedom. asher is unhappy in perth. rosie feels restricted at home. then, when asher is blamed for something he didn't do, the two decide to take a little spontaneous holiday.

i turned fifteen in 1997. guitar highway rose was practically my bible. i read it all the time. i made my friends read it. it got me into allen ginsberg, made me want to run away. it was the reason i bought hippie skirts and bought my doc martens. i wanted to pierce my nose and learn how to play guitar.

reading it again today i wonder if brigid lowry wrote all the little segments at all different times. they appear as lists, or observations on one person or another, or on themself. for example: 'pip and rosie walk to school / monday' and 'what the homeroom teacher said' and 'contents of asher's pockets'. some of them seem like they might have started as exercises in order to develop her characters and setting - what a brilliant idea. lowry has written very, very convincing teenage voices, both rosie and asher. "bloody mother. carrying on and on. silly old bag. wasn't she ever young and fun-loving? anyone would think i'm an axe-murderer or something."

it's only rosie's mum lily who i feel doesn't quite hit the spot for me, her voice coming across as a little bit of a caricature of an overbearing mum. also, the segments in which the characters narrate their thoughts and emotions, and not able to watch and see through a scene, make me feel as though i am being told how to feel.

but, nevertheless it is such a marvellous story, a must-read book. and in spite of a bit of a moral (or compromise) in the end, i think this celebrates a bit of rebellion and adventure, how fifteen is a bitch but it's also exciting and precious and ...i'm so glad i'm not fifteen anymore.